Health & Medicine - Posted by Futurity-Jenny Leonard on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 15:03 - 4 Comments 
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Gene linked to aggression in disabled adults
“Problem behaviors in these populations account for billions of dollars in intervention costs each year, but nearly all of these interventions occur after the fact,” says study coauthor Craig Kennedy.
“Problem behaviors in these populations account for billions of dollars in intervention costs each year, but nearly all of these interventions occur after the fact,” says study coauthor Craig Kennedy.
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VANDERBILT (US)—A common variation of the gene involved in regulating two neurotransmitters in the brain may be linked to problem behaviors in adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, new research indicates.
“Problem behaviors in these populations account for billions of dollars in intervention costs each year, but nearly all of these interventions occur after the fact,” says Craig Kennedy, coauthor of the study and professor of special education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development. “This research suggests one way we might predict which individuals are at risk of being aggressive and destructive and provide treatment before problems occur.”
Problem behaviors are reported in 15 to 20 percent of adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. For this study, the researchers focused specifically on aggression, self-injury, or property destruction, and set out to determine if there was a genetic underpinning for these behaviors. They focused on the gene that encodes monoamine oxidize A, or MAOA.
MAOA is involved in the regulation of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is linked to appetite and mood, and the neurotransmitter and hormone norepinephrine, which is linked to the fight-or-flight response. Previous studies found that variations in MAOA were linked to violent behavior.
“We found that a common variant of the MAOA gene was strongly associated with problem behaviors in adults with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities,” Kennedy says.
The researchers studied 105 white men between the ages of 18 and 50. Only white men were sampled because the MAOA gene is linked to the X chromosome and also is shown to vary by ethnicity. Forty-three percent of those with developmental and intellectual disabilities and beh`avior problems had the gene variant, compared to 20 percent of the same group with no behavior issues and 20 percent of a typically developing control group.
The same MAOA variation has also been linked to autism in children, autism severity, and communication problems. The researchers suggest that problem behaviors linked to this variation may explain increased autism severity in individuals with it. It is not, however, linked to behavior problems in individuals with fragile X syndrome, pointing to the need for further research on genetic and other contributors to problem behavior in individuals with different developmental disabilities.
Researchers from Southern Illinois University contributed to the study, which was supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Education and General Clinical Research Council at Vanderbilt University. The findings were published in the July 2009 issue of the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Vanderbilt University news: www.vanderbilt.edu/news
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4 Comments
autismmisdiagnosed
jeanette
autism and self injury is seen in a new light on you tube videos under ‘autism self injury” I didnt’ know it could be so severe. God bless these families
Cathy
I live with my 16 year old severely autistic son whom doctors seem to want to push out the door asap. He does not read, write or speak, is self-injurious, aggressive, explosive, with many sensory issues, sleeping problems as well as eating concerns. He recently began having seizures.So much of the brain remains uncharted territory and the doctors know they cannot give me answers. We have tried many meds that have increased his aggressive behavior and have made him much more agitated. He is literally jumping out of his skin and has been since age 2. While he does bang his head, scratch himself, bite his wrist and sometimes gouge his eye, he does not hurt himself the way the young man in the video does. We are so far away from finding a way to help our son and the doctors know it too.
terrie
I have a 19 yr old son with autisim. he is considered low functioning since he does not read or write except basic letter and numbers. Socially he is somewhat higher functioning since he does speak very well and models appropriate behavior most of the time. He is 6feet 5in tall and weighs 380 lbs. He is also aggressive. He seems to cycle into aggression every 4-6weeks and it last for about a week. He then seems to cycle out of it. Of course there are many triggers like a change in caregiver (he lives in his own apt and I provide care 10-12 hrs a day) or change in weather or minor illness(allergies) . He is on abilify, epitol, topomax, and clonopine. I have learned to read the pre agression signs and can usually avoid direct confrontation but not all ways and the biggest worry is having to request police involvement and not always getting caring officers who have compassion. I do not want him to be jailed. Yet his size and aggression make the situation extremely difficult. I am a single mom and i am about 5ft 2in to his 6ft 5in. So far he has avoided jail. although he has been hand cuffed and taken there as a scare tactic. we live in a small town and most of the officers are great and they all know him
He has only agressed against me since i am his only caregiver. he did attend public school for 14 yrs and had little trouble with authority there all things considered. I wish there was more help available. I am not willing to consider taking him out of the community setting.
The term autistic has been misused to describe persons with anything from cerebral allergies and schizophrenia to attention deficient disorder and post traumatic disorder. Sadly, few doctors and educators understand true cases of autism to make a correct diagnosis. So they go with the latest media driven flow. Pick and choose from a broad and ever expanding spectrum. Or worse, they guess. The hallmark traits of autism are: sensitivity to sounds, specific tastes in food/drink, strange body postures, repetitive behaviors, inability to control emotions or excitement, poor reasoning skills, needs routines, resists changes, sense of direction and memory better than other skills, thinking based on association, not reasoning, once distracted by olfactory, visual or auditory stimuli, they become preoccupied. This is markedly DIFFERENT than ADHD, in that ADHD presents as easily distracted by stimuli, BUT, the person bounces focus from one thing to another. ADHD people don’t stay hyper-focused or fixate on something. That is what you will see a truly autistic person do. Fixate. Appear to be in a world of their own. Not wanting to play or socialize with others. Not wanting to play or socialize with others is only a hallmark trait of autism when it ALSO involves, not willfully choosing to ignore or not play with others. A truly autistic person doesn’t choose to not play or socialize, it’s simply who they are– not to play or socialize with others—is in itself the core of autism—within oneself. They may show signs of affection or social skills, but it will almost always be brief.
Autism research examines high functioning Autism (and Aspergers) but continues to ignore low functioning (severely) autistic subjects. So, if research is focused exclusively, or almost exclusively, on participants with high functioning autism or Aspergers, HOW much do we REALLY know about Autistic Disorder which, by definition, includes those with low functioning autism if we don’t’ study low functioning autism? Let’s be honest, many researchers are uninterested in an autism case that doesn’t have a direct bearing on a positive grant flow
autism and self injury on you tube is probably the most severe case of classic autism we’ve seen in a long, long time….yet, no researchers in the videos…just the family, doing whatever they can to help their son….go figure